Authorities said a man and his toddler son drowned in a small pond in Biggs on Saturday.

Butte County sheriff's deputies said they received a 911 call at about 4:45 p.m. reporting a man and a child trapped in a pond in the wildlife area at the end of Palm Avenue.

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Witnesses told deputies the 53-year-old man and his 2-year-old son were in an inflatable boat when the child fell overboard. Detectives said the father jumped in to save his son, who was wearing a life vest, and grabbed a hold of him, but he was not able to get them back into the boat.

Deputies said when rescue crews arrived, the man had been pulled to the shore, while his son was still in the water.

Deputies said the man was pronounced dead on the scene, while the child was taken to Gridley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.